25/11/11 to 3/12/11
Well have managed to change the front wheel, disc, pads, tyre and the bike is much better for it all of that cost about the same as a front tyre in Australia. Have also had the pocket on my bag fixed, otherwise a bit of riding a lot of relaxing.
The day the Goan police told me to take the India flag off, it just doesn't look right anymore.
Have also had problems with the INP as the Australian post has lost it somewhere between north Melbourne and Brunswick, also north Melbourne lol, and here was I worried the India side would be the problem. Of course the day after my INP expired I got stopped by police here in Palolem and asked for licence, fortunately they accepted my Australian licence. So have to send off the forms again and pay again, this time also using registered mail.
This means of course that I am stuck in Palolem for another week or so, bugger it will be hard but then sometimes we have to suffer to complete our dreams.
yes i haven't done enough sunset shoots yet
For those that say there is no recycle point in India, this one is out by a fort near a little village, oh and it was empty lol.
The fort did have a lovely view tho.
4/12/11
Well well well it is my first anniversary today, yes one year since I arrived in Ho Chi Min city. There are plenty of wonderful memories, hanging out at Hung Vy's with the teachers, and of course getting my Open water dive certificate. Then one of my favourites In Rach Gia back on the mainland I arrived at a clam restaurant just as a group made a table available, the only one on both sides of the road. After a lovely feed a family of 4 arrived on a scooter so I gave up my table for them and went and sat on the far side of the road next to the main restaurant and played boo with a little 3 year old well having a beer. After a while a waitress came over and said that the family I gave the table too wanted me to join them, which I did. No one at the table was able to speak English, except me of course, and no one at the table could speak Vietnamese, except the family. But we did manage to have a few beers, the father and myself. After the family left I decided to head over to the fair on the other side of the river, but when I asked for my bill I discovered that the family had paid it for me.
New years in Ho Chi Min was also very enjoyable, followed by the sad loss of my first silver fern flag. Mmm Then of course my first experience of true hills in Vietnam on the way to Dalat, and the next day chasing a local down a hill road, loved it. Ohh then of course the water slides in Nga Trang hehe I loved them, and a dive there, but the visibility was a bit poor. Further up the coast I Meet the Fin who was riding toward Hoi An. Arriving in Cambodia was very exciting for me, even got given a Cambodian flag from one of the boarder guards.
And then when I made it over to the Mekong river at Strung Trend,visiting the 100 Pillar Temple will always stay with me, opening the book to the page about Lumbeni. Getting lost down on the way from Kratie to Kampon Cham ending up at a dead end in a bush, then riding in a little village where everyone stopped and stared, none waving, none saying hello hello. Eventually making it out to the the main road again. And of course then there was Angkor Wat, a must see for everyone, and loving riding around the main temple complex most days with my feet up going oohhhh Ruin, oohhhh another ruin.
Diving down in the south was great, great visibility at the far island, but mostly little things to look at. Mmmmm and the yummy pepper in Kampot, swimming the river out at Utopia, naming My Suzuki GN125 Gracie.
The roads in Ko Chang were definitely fun, although finding out that I wouldn't be able to go to Malaysia because of the flooding in south Thailand wasn't as much fun. And catching up with William, and getting snobbed by the Harley guy who refused to work on my bike, having bike issues but getting to meet the custom bike guys on the side of the road part way to Chang Mai was awesome, of cause the fix didn't last and had to train the bike into Chang Mai. Sangkran was great, days of throwing water at each other, although copping a bucket of water in the chest at 60k can hurt.
The boat trip down to Laung Probung was great, although wasn't happy to have seen so little of Laos, did have a ball tho with the engagement party, and walking the river to town. And riding down rivers, getting taken across rivers in narrow little boats, was all lots of fun as well. Up in the north of Vietnam I found Sapper to be a bit cold but still lovely area and Ha Long Bay was wonderful.
With not being able to go to China a holiday in Malaysia and Indonesia was very enjoyable sitting on TiamonBukit Luwang and the Orangutan's, Palau Weh were the diving was beautiful. Yes I know I didn't do much riding in either country but I did ride in both.
Sri Lanka had some lovely places as well, Pasicuda bay and meeting the man called father there. The mountain roads up to Kandy where also very enjoyable. Ohh then of course there is the Movies in Chennai heheehe playing an US soldier, well failing to as I was not good enough at dieing. Although I should be in the other movie which I don't know the name of lol. Mildura's temples where also a treat loved sitting on the roof of the hotel as the sun went down watching the storms roll in, with lovely lightning shows, and the music from the temple playing.
Watching the sunset down the very bottom of India, and having my first major photo shoot for about 20min with almost every person on the tower. My first major break from India in India was Varkala beach which was awesome especially as I got to watch us beat the Aussies and then the French to take the Rugby World Cup, nice one AB's. This was another brilliant place for watching evening storms. Doing ferry trips out and walking back in Allepucha was also a great way to spend my birthday. Oh and those mountain roads through to Combitore, Ooty, Mysore and back down to the coast were brilliant.
The Royal Enfield Rider Mania was also fun, Goa as a whole is one of those have a break from India well in India places, and I have been Enjoying it. I have named my India bike Mule, from the wandering Star song in the movie Paint your wagon, Wheel are for turning and Mules are for packing. I am looking forward to heading on tho, and apparently the INP has arrived in Aussie so may have it soon ish.
Well it has been fun spending the day writing this and thinking back on all the stuff i have done so far.
Enjoy your life
I've put this photo in again because i told some people it said Avoid aids......... Blow Horn, but I'm wrong.
